From the statements given below, choose the correct ones about the fortifications and roads in Vijayanagara Empire.
A. Paes, an ambassador from Persia, mentioned seven lines of forts.
B. Razzaq said that cementing was used in the walls of the fort.
C. There was no fortification around the agricultural fields.
D. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates linking the city to the major road.
E. The arch on the gateway led to the fortified settlement.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → D, E only
A. Paes, an ambassador from Persia, mentioned seven lines of forts. Incorrect. It was Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia, who mentioned seven lines of forts. Domingo Paes came from Portugal.
B. Razzaq said that cementing was used in the walls of the fort. Incorrect. No mortar or cementing agent was employed anywhere in the walls; the stone blocks were wedge shaped, which held them in place.
C. There was no fortification around the agricultural fields. Incorrect. The most significant feature of the fortification was that it enclosed agricultural tracts; the walls encircled not only the city but also its agricultural hinterland and forests.
D. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates linking the city to the major road. Correct. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates, which linked the city to the major roads.
E. The arch on the gateway led to the fortified settlement. Correct. The arch on the gateway leading into the fortified settlement, with the dome over the gate, is regarded as a typical feature of the architecture introduced by the Turkish Sultans.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.2 Fortifications and roads … Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia to Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) in the fifteenth century, was greatly impressed by the fortifications, and mentioned seven lines of forts. These encircled not only the city but also its agricultural hinterland and forests. The outermost wall linked the hills surrounding the city. The massive masonry construction was slightly tapered. No mortar or cementing agent was employed anywhere in the construction. The stone blocks were wedge shaped, which held them in place, and the inner portion of the walls was of earth packed with rubble. Square or rectangular bastions projected outwards.… 3.2 Fortifications and roads … What was most significant about this fortification is that it enclosed agricultural tracts.… 3.2 Fortifications and roads … A second line of fortification went round the inner core of the urban complex, and a third line surrounded the royal centre, within which each set of major buildings was surrounded by its own high walls. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates, which linked the city to the major roads. Gateways were distinctive architectural features that often defined the structures to which they regulated access. The arch on the gateway leading into the fortified settlement as well as the dome over the gate (Fig. 7.6) are regarded as typical features of the architecture introduced by the Turkish Sultans.…” |